The Sacrament of Confirmation brings to fulfillment the grace and the work of the Holy Spirit received in Baptism. It bestows the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which the baptized person needs in order to grow more deeply in their identity as a child of God, to become more closely united with Christ, and to be strengthened in their bond with the Church, whose mission they share. At the same time, it helps them to bear witness to the faith of the Church in both word and deed.
When the time comes for a young person to take responsibility for their own spiritual life, they receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. This is preceded by instruction provided by parents and the parish, guiding them into Christian life.’
The Sacrament of Confirmation is usually administered by a bishop. The candidates for Confirmation profess their faith before the congregation and renew the baptismal promises made on their behalf by their parents and godparents at their Baptism. Then the bishop confers the sacrament by laying his hands on them and anointing their forehead with the sign of the cross using holy chrism, a consecrated oil. Each candidate has a sponsor, who must be at least 16 years old and a confirmed Catholic.
When adults baptized in other Christian denominations are received into full communion with the Church, they are generally given the Sacrament of Confirmation at the same time, unless they have already received it previously.
THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION
(Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, no 265-270)
265. What place does Confirmation have in the divine plan of salvation?
In the Old Testament the prophets announced that the Spirit of the Lord would rest on the awaited Messiah and on the entire messianic people. The whole life and mission of Jesus were carried out in total communion with the Holy Spirit. The apostles received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and proclaimed “the great works of God” (Acts 2:11). They gave the gift of the same Spirit to the newly baptized by the laying on of hands. Down through the centuries, the Church has continued to live by the Spirit and to impart him to her children.
266. Why is this sacrament called Chrismation or Confirmation?
It is called Chrismation (in the Eastern Churches: Anointing with holy myron or chrism) because the essential rite of the sacrament is anointing with chrism. It is called Confirmation because it confirms and strengthens baptismal grace.
267. What is the essential rite of Confirmation?
The essential rite of Confirmation is the anointing with Sacred Chrism (oil mixed with balsam and consecrated by the bishop), which is done by the laying on of the hand of the minister who pronounces the sacramental words proper to the rite. In the West this anointing is done on the forehead of the baptized with the words, “Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit”. In the Eastern Churches of the Byzantine rite this anointing is also done on other parts of the body with the words, “The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit!”.
The laying-on of hands was the first name or form of the sacrament of Confirmation, and the Bible gives some examples of it. The clearest account of the apostolic practice of the sacrament of Confirmation can be found in the Acts of the Apostles: “When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit,because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 8:14-17)
Another example from the same book testifies that Baptism and Confirmation were often given together in the first centuries, so that they formed a “double sacrament” (CCC 1290): “On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them.” (Acts 19:5-6) The Eastern tradition has maintained this practice, while the Western tradition decided to separate Baptism and Confirmation in time (CCC 1290, 1318). This distinction is therefore practical and not dogmatic.
The practice of the Eastern Churches gives greater emphasis to the unity of Christian initiation. That of the Latin Church more clearly expresses the communion of the new Christian with the bishop as guarantor and servant of the unity, catholicity and apostolicity of his Church, and hence the connection with the apostolic origins of Christ’s Church. (CCC 1292) In the West, the unity of initiation does not necessarily imply temporal unity. The sacraments of initiation should respond to the need of the soul as it gradually develops.
268. What is the effect of Confirmation?
The effect of Confirmation is a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit like that of Pentecost. This outpouring impresses on the soul an indelible character and produces a growth in the grace of Baptism. It roots the recipient more deeply in divine sonship, binds him more firmly to Christ and to the Church and reinvigorates the gifts of the Holy Spirit in his soul. It gives a special strength to witness to the Christian faith.
Confirmation is given only once because, like baptism, it impresses upon the soul an indelible spiritual “mark” that Jesus Christ has marked the Christian with the seal of His Spirit. A seal is a symbol of a person, a sign of personal authority, or ownership of an object. Hence soldiers were marked with their leader’s seal and slaves with their master’s. A seal authenticates a juridical act or document and occasionally makes it secret. (CCC 1295)
This seal of the Holy Spirit marks our total belonging to Christ, our enrollment in his service for ever, as well as the promise of divine protection in the great eschatological trial. (CCC 1296)
The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:1-2):Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, Fear of the Lord.
“God is love” (1 John 4:8), and love is the first of all gift; all other gifts are included in it. “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Rm 5:5).
In the power of the Holy Spirit, God’s children can bear fruit. He who has grafted us into the true vine makes us bear “the fruit of the Spirit”. à The twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5: 22-23):Charity, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Generosity, Gentleness, Faithfulness, Modesty, Self-control and Chastity.
269. Who can receive this sacrament?
Only those already baptized can and should receive this sacrament which can be received only once. To receive Confirmation efficaciously the candidate must be in the state of grace.
Godparent
The person to be confirmed has a godparent, who must be a confirmed Catholic aged 16 or over. The role of the godparent is to support the young Christian in participating in the life of the Church and the parish and to pray for him/her. The godparent must be a person in full sacramental communion with the Catholic Church and should receive the Sacrament of Penance before the Confirmation ceremony. A godparent chosen by parents at Baptism may also serve as a Confirmation godparent if he or she fulfils these conditions.
Patron saint
In addition to the godparent, the sacrament of Confirmation is accompanied by a patron saint who supports the young Christian with his or her intercessions. Everyone probably already has a patron saint and a name chosen by their parents at Baptism, but now the person to be confirmed as a sign of new life has the opportunity to choose a new patron saint and a new name according to him or her. Of course, you can also choose the same saint in whose name you were baptized. It is important to get to know your own patron saint and ask for his/her intercessions.
270. Who is the minister of Confirmation?
The original minister of Confirmation is the bishop. In this way the link between the confirmed and the Church in her apostolic dimension is made manifest. When a priest confers this sacrament, as ordinarily happens in the East and in special cases in the West, the link with the bishop and with the Church is expressed by the priest who is the collaborator of the bishop and by the Sacred Chrism, consecrated by the bishop himself.
“Through the Holy Spirit we are restored to paradise, led back to the Kingdom of heaven, and adopted as children, given confidence to call God “Father” and to share in Christ’s grace, called children of light and given a share in eternal glory.” (St. Basil, De Spiritu Sancto, 15,36: PG 32,132)